"Ash?" asked Kate. "Are you alright hun?"
"Mom, I don't think I can go to school today. I feel really sick."
"You had enough energy to move everything in your room around in the middle of the night, and you are telling me you can't go to school?"
"Yes," responded Ashley.
"Fine. But there will be no one here to nurture you back to health. And if I find out you've been faking...."
"You'll put me in a box, mail it to China, and have them give me water torture?"
"Whatever floats your boat, honey. I got to go. See you this afternoon," said Kate and she left the room.
It became enveloped in silence. It was as if sound had suddenly become nonexistent, as though death were coming stealthily out of the silence surrounding the room.
Ashley heard a car pull out of the garage, and left the room. She went down her hallway, and opened her attic. She climbed up the stairs, and a deep darkness was there. It smelt like mold, and looked to the equivelant. She searched for one box in the black dark, and found her photo album from eighth and ninth grade. One was bright orange, and had happy stickers all over it. While the other was black and had silver inscriptions on it. It's funny how we change so much in the course of a year. she thought. She walked out of the attic, and went back into her room, in hopes of escaping the world that wasn't.
Ashley opened the first book, and the first page was dedicated to Jimmy and herself in their glory of eighth grade. It had "Degrassi's Phinest!" written at the top of the page. She flipped to the next one, it had "Miss el Presidente" and pictures of her campaign posters on it. The other pages had pics from the twilight dance, pictures of all the Degrassi eighth grade class, and she looked at it and saw she was standing next to...Jimmy. All the memories seemed to come back. She hated them. She slammed the book shut, as though she were trying to hold back memories. She got out the next book. She actually hadn't finished that too long ago. The first page had her poem for Mrs. Kwan's class:
It happens to other people You say how sad You say poor thing But when it's you it's something else, it's everything. It began with something minor, then led to something worse. The friends you loved and thought you knew just seem to disappear Felt so weird Half blessing half curse. It happens to other people. You say how sad You say poor thing.
She remembered the pantene pro-voice competition. They had kicked ass at that, but they had only recieved honorable mention. It was that that got her her friends back... sorta. The next pages had pictures of her and Ellie. The last page was a picture of the ninth grade at the end of the year dance. She had been with Craig, and his dad had died. Ashley heaved a long sigh, and shut that book. The phone rang suddenly, making her jump. She laughed to herself.
"Hello?" asked Ashley.
"Why aren't you at school? You are missing out on a great thing!" screamed Ellie.
"I'm sick. And what am I missing? "
"New guy in grade 10. His name is Roger Bowman...."
"Cute?"
"Very."
"I'll meet him tomorrow. It's not a big deal, honestly."
"Well, seeing that you haven't had a boyfriend in forever...."
"El, since when did you become girly?"
"When I figured out Marco was gay," she said. After a few moments, she realized she let it slip.
"Explain Nash now!"
"I have to call you later. The bell just rang."
"No, come over after school. It'll be way less dangerous."
"Bye," said Ellie and hung up the phone.
~*~*~*~*
"How long has this been going on?" asked Ashley.
"Nearly a year."
"I never would've guessed. He seems so..."
"Straight?"
"Yeah."
"That was the general purpose. Now listen. You tell no one...."
"Ellie, you make it sound like I have someone to tell,"responded Ashley . "You tell no one, and if you do...I don't know what tortures you!"
"That was the general purpose." A smile crept across her face, and she laughed. The door bell rang suddenly. "I'll get it."
"Where were you today?" asked Craig.
"Here."
"I brought you a friend. Roger Bowman, meet Ashley Kerwin." A lean fifteen year old figure stood in front of her. He had black hair that slightly shrouded his face, dark skin, and deep blue eyes with speckles of grey dancing through it that would make any girl melt. And that's exactly what was happening with Ashley.
~*~*~*~*
"Mom, I don't think I can go to school today. I feel really sick."
"You had enough energy to move everything in your room around in the middle of the night, and you are telling me you can't go to school?"
"Yes," responded Ashley.
"Fine. But there will be no one here to nurture you back to health. And if I find out you've been faking...."
"You'll put me in a box, mail it to China, and have them give me water torture?"
"Whatever floats your boat, honey. I got to go. See you this afternoon," said Kate and she left the room.
It became enveloped in silence. It was as if sound had suddenly become nonexistent, as though death were coming stealthily out of the silence surrounding the room.
Ashley heard a car pull out of the garage, and left the room. She went down her hallway, and opened her attic. She climbed up the stairs, and a deep darkness was there. It smelt like mold, and looked to the equivelant. She searched for one box in the black dark, and found her photo album from eighth and ninth grade. One was bright orange, and had happy stickers all over it. While the other was black and had silver inscriptions on it. It's funny how we change so much in the course of a year. she thought. She walked out of the attic, and went back into her room, in hopes of escaping the world that wasn't.
Ashley opened the first book, and the first page was dedicated to Jimmy and herself in their glory of eighth grade. It had "Degrassi's Phinest!" written at the top of the page. She flipped to the next one, it had "Miss el Presidente" and pictures of her campaign posters on it. The other pages had pics from the twilight dance, pictures of all the Degrassi eighth grade class, and she looked at it and saw she was standing next to...Jimmy. All the memories seemed to come back. She hated them. She slammed the book shut, as though she were trying to hold back memories. She got out the next book. She actually hadn't finished that too long ago. The first page had her poem for Mrs. Kwan's class:
It happens to other people You say how sad You say poor thing But when it's you it's something else, it's everything. It began with something minor, then led to something worse. The friends you loved and thought you knew just seem to disappear Felt so weird Half blessing half curse. It happens to other people. You say how sad You say poor thing.
She remembered the pantene pro-voice competition. They had kicked ass at that, but they had only recieved honorable mention. It was that that got her her friends back... sorta. The next pages had pictures of her and Ellie. The last page was a picture of the ninth grade at the end of the year dance. She had been with Craig, and his dad had died. Ashley heaved a long sigh, and shut that book. The phone rang suddenly, making her jump. She laughed to herself.
"Hello?" asked Ashley.
"Why aren't you at school? You are missing out on a great thing!" screamed Ellie.
"I'm sick. And what am I missing? "
"New guy in grade 10. His name is Roger Bowman...."
"Cute?"
"Very."
"I'll meet him tomorrow. It's not a big deal, honestly."
"Well, seeing that you haven't had a boyfriend in forever...."
"El, since when did you become girly?"
"When I figured out Marco was gay," she said. After a few moments, she realized she let it slip.
"Explain Nash now!"
"I have to call you later. The bell just rang."
"No, come over after school. It'll be way less dangerous."
"Bye," said Ellie and hung up the phone.
~*~*~*~*
"How long has this been going on?" asked Ashley.
"Nearly a year."
"I never would've guessed. He seems so..."
"Straight?"
"Yeah."
"That was the general purpose. Now listen. You tell no one...."
"Ellie, you make it sound like I have someone to tell,"responded Ashley . "You tell no one, and if you do...I don't know what tortures you!"
"That was the general purpose." A smile crept across her face, and she laughed. The door bell rang suddenly. "I'll get it."
"Where were you today?" asked Craig.
"Here."
"I brought you a friend. Roger Bowman, meet Ashley Kerwin." A lean fifteen year old figure stood in front of her. He had black hair that slightly shrouded his face, dark skin, and deep blue eyes with speckles of grey dancing through it that would make any girl melt. And that's exactly what was happening with Ashley.
~*~*~*~*